The Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference have taken major strides each year to become more and more of a national player and a big reason why is because of players like Carson York, the top player in the Rivals.com Idaho top five.

There are always players talented enough to make major contributions like York and in the past they almost always seemed to end up at places like Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State or somewhere else in those two leagues. But as more and more people have become aware of the state, more teams have started to recruit it.

That's why it became possible for Oregon to come in and snag the commitment from York, ranked as the No. 1 player in Idaho. The 6-foot-5, 270-pounder just missed four-star status and could easily move up the rankings here over the next few months. He's a mobile kid that has great lower-body strength, and he's getting better and better every day.

York was the only underclassman to earn all-conference and all-Northern Idaho honors in 2005. As an offensive tackle, he helped pave the way for his team to average over 400 yards of rushing offense and just under 40 points per contest.

"As a tackle, I've got real good feet," he said. "I think the best part of my game is my pass blocking. This past fall, nobody got past me to record a sack."

Nampa Skyview quarterback Matt Ballenger is the No. 2 player in Idaho, and he's already committed to Colorado. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound pro-style passer looked very god at the Elite 11 regional workout in Las Vegas, helping him secure a solid three-star ranking.

Boise State got a commitment from the No. 3 player in the state - all-purpose back Mitch Burroughs of Meridian, Idaho.